LED Driving Lights

[rlyons]

Got my LED Driving Lights in today from www.greenboatstuff.com and I can say they are bright. Now I guess I will have to go to the LED headlight though because now my headlight looks dim.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n315/rlyons_photos/Venture/DSC00328Large.jpg

 

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n315/rlyons_photos/Venture/DSC00327Large.jpg

[Squidley]

Have you ridden with them in the dark? If so how well do they light up the road. I like the idea of them as long as they are useful for additional seeing at night.

[Bubber]

Got a part number to look up?

Cost $ ?

[jfoster]

If I had the passing lamps on mine I would definitely have them (low draw on the electrical system, probably won't ever burn out). I love the looks of a clear lense with a halogen bulb, but these are so much more efficient and provide better daytime visibility.

 

A week or two ago, custom dynamic had the led headlight and as of this past weekend, I couldn't find it anymore on their website.

[heatonmt]

Got my LED Driving Lights in today from www.greenboatstuff.com and I can say they are bright. Now I guess I will have to go to the LED headlight though because now my headlight looks dim.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n315/rlyons_photos/Venture/DSC00328Large.jpg

 

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n315/rlyons_photos/Venture/DSC00327Large.jpg

did they mount in the yamha housings? What is the part number

[KeithR]

I think this is the link for the ones he used ?

 

Keith

 

www.greenboatstuff.com/maseledsplab.html

[awsmsrv]

A week or two ago, custom dynamic had the led headlight and as of this past weekend, I couldn't find it anymore on their website.

Here it is.

[jfoster]

I think this is the link for the ones he used ?

 

Keith

 

www.greenboatstuff.com/maseledsplab.html

 

 

Those are bout $100 cheaper than custom dynamic!

[KiteSquid]

They are more like a passing lamp that a driving lamp with a 25° beam spread.

 

The rated output of 320 Lumens is good.... when used as a pair like on the passing lamps for a motorycle.

 

 

The $39.95 price tag is good to...

 

 

Too bad I dont have a RSV anymore to put them in.

 

 

Have any of you seen the LED passing lamps and headlights that Harley is now selling????? They look SWEET, but at a much higher MSRP.........

[rlyons]

http://www.greenboatstuff.com/maseledsplab.html

 

Yes they fit right in place of the old bulbs. I have not ridden in the dark yet as I just got them this evening but I will as soon as I can and report back. They only draw about 8 watts so it is easier on the electrical system for sure. I plan to change out the headlight and turn signals to LED also as soon as the bank account allows it.

[tsigwing]

Those are bout $100 cheaper than custom dynamic!

 

 

Wow. Sure do like my HID headlight, especially at that price.

[Guest]

Nice....still waiting for my set to come in. It shipped Friday. Should compliment my HID headlight quite nicely.

 

I think they are the same ones or very similar to the ones from custom dynamics at 119 each. 39 bucks sure beats them hands down.

[JerryT]

Been watching this with lots of interest. It looks like the custom dynamics lamps have 162 led's compared to 120 led's on these. Would think the CD lamp would be brighter, but at 3 times the cost seem high. Has anyone been able to compare side by side and are there any other differences?

[Snaggletooth]

Looking forward to seeing some pics of the lights on the road after dark. Looks like a great option to the sealed beams.

 

Looking for something whiter and brighter to go with my Hella module setup.

 

Keep us posted.

 

Mike

[Mariner Fan]

I'm interested since I have a burned out passing light bulb that will need to be replaced.

 

Do they fit into the stock Yamaha buckets?

[eusa1]

I'm interested since I have a burned out passing light bulb that will need to be replaced.

 

Do they fit into the stock Yamaha buckets?

 

yes...see post #10

[Mariner Fan]

yes...see post #10

 

 

Thanks!

[Owen]

Ok... I gotta ask... what is the beam pattern from these 'driving' lights. I see 12 degree beam but that is a 'conical' 12 degrees. That means it is throwing light as high as it is wide. Seems to me that would be pretty blinding to on coming cars especially at night. Most driving lights have a beam that is not so tall yet pretty wide... more rectangular. Am I missing something here???

[Owen]

Ok... I gotta ask... what is the beam pattern from these 'driving' lights. I see 12 degree beam but that is a 'conical' 12 degrees. That means it is throwing light as high as it is wide. Seems to me that would be pretty blinding to on coming cars especially at night. Most driving lights have a beam that is not so tall yet pretty wide... more rectangular. Am I missing something here???

 

Just to add to the discussion... click here to see a sample of the different beam patterns. Notice that driving and fog lights do not extend the distance by very far. This means they do not have a very tall pattern.

 

 

Fog Lights

 

Anyone who has driven through a thick patch of fog knows that switching on the high beams does not improve your visibility–it makes it worse. That's because the light from your high beams reflects off the water droplets in the fog, bouncing right back into your eyes. The same thing happens when you're driving through other foul weather, like rain storms or snow flurries. Traditional low beams and high beams just can't cut through. Fog lights are the answer to driving through pea soup and foul weather.

 

The only effective way to drive through dense fog is to angle the light downward onto the road, so that it avoids running right into the reflective water droplets. Typically, fog hovers about 12"–18" above the road's surface. Fog lights mount low on your front bumper, and cast a wide beam of light down onto the road. That way, the light gets lower than the fog, and you're able to see clearer and drive safer. What's more, in order to keep the light from extending above the level of your bumper, the beams of light are cut off at the top (imagine an Oreo cookie that's been divided in half).

 

How your fog lights are aimed is extremely important. If they're angled too high, their light will just shoot right up into the mist—not to mention right into the eyes of oncoming motorists. If they're angled too low, then their range is greatly reduced, and you won't be able to see far enough ahead. Thankfully, the Society of Automotive Engineers (S.A.E.) has taken the guess work out of aiming fog lights by developing a standard system.

 

Here's how it works:

Mount the fog lights on the front of your vehicle between 10"–14" up from the ground.

Park your vehicle 25' away from a flat wall, like a garage door or the side of a building. You'll want to make sure that the ground is level so that the results are accurate.

Measure the height from the center of the lamp to the ground. Use that same measurement to draw a line on the wall with some chalk.

Turn on the fog lights, and take a look at where the light hits on the wall. The tops of the beams should be 4" below the line you drew.

A properly aimed set of fog lights not only gives you better visibility, it's also good roadway etiquette. Misaligned fog lights can shoot right into the eyes of oncoming drivers, and no one wants blinded motorist on the road, especially on stormy nights.

After the initial alignment, periodically check to make sure that the lights are still aimed correctly. Since fog lights mount so low to the ground, they are at greater risk of being knocked out of position.

A number of well-respected companies craft quality fog lights, including Hella, PIAA and KC HiLites.

 

 

Driving Lights

 

Safe driving is dependent on our ability to react to any situation, but we can only respond to what we can see. Low beams and high beams are our first line of defense against poor visibility, but often their range falls short. Driving lights pick up the slack. They're designed to boost the intensity and range of your high beams, showering the roadway with brilliant light. When we can see clearly, we're able to rapidly respond to whatever may come our way.

If you think about it, driving lights give you the power to peer into the future. All their extra light reveals the road that lies ahead of you, and you can use that knowledge of upcoming conditions to plan your next course of action. Without the foresight that driving lights deliver, your ability to respond to hazards is greatly diminished. Because of this special characteristic, driving lights are most effective for nighttime highway driving because of the higher cruising speeds.

Driving lights generate beams that are more focused than fog lights because they're engineered to travel farther in advance of your vehicle. As such, correctly aiming them is crucial to improve your own visibility while avoiding blinding other motorists. Follow these S.A.E. tips to properly align your driving lights.

 

Mount your driving lights on the front of your vehicle 14"–30" up from the ground.

Park 25' away from a flat wall, like a garage door or the side of a building. Level ground gives you the most accurate results.

Measure the distance from the center of your driving light down to the pavement, and mark that distance on the wall with chalk.

Flip on the lights and find the center of the hot spot, which is the intense inner circle of the beam. Tilt the driving light so that the center of the hot spot is 1 " below the mark you made in the wall.

 

While there is little variation in the beam pattern of fog lights, driving lights come in a number of different styles that are optimized for specific driving conditions.

 

 

Normal Driving Light Pattern

This standard pattern increases the range and brightness of your vehicle's high beams. It's designed for higher nighttime cruising speeds, and it helps you clearly see signs and hazards long before your normal high beams.

 

Euro Light Beam Pattern

This pattern is designed to produce an exceptionally strong beam of light with wider coverage than the normal pattern. In fact, it projects its beam up to 1,500' away at a width of 250'. The beams are angled upward and to the right, illuminating the side of the road and making it much easier to see street signs and pedestrians.

 

Cornering Light Beam Pattern

This beam pattern is designed to improve your front and side vision, especially for winding roads, tight curves and cornering. Plus, you can get an intelligent lighting system that automatically senses when you're driving around a bend and turns on a fill light to illuminate the curve.

 

Pencil Light Beam Pattern

This pattern puts out a powerful, narrow and extremely long stream of light that's designed for reaching maximum distances. The range for a single beam can extend up to 2,500' long by 120' feet wide. Because of their power, pencil beam lights are recommended for off-road and racing use.

 

Here is a pretty good review of different motorcycle lights.

 

Hope this gets you thinking...

[rlyons]

Tried out the LEDs tonight and I have to say they are great. I have a large area of bright white light and now one small spot of yellow light in the middle. That will be cured when I go to the LED headlight or the HID whichever I decide to do.

[Shot]

Wow. Sure do like my HID headlight, especially at that price.

I'm a little slow; is the headlight worth the $60 plus dollars (brightness and vision)? I can convince my bride about spending money on my bike if its a safety item and it looks like this fits my criteria. What about the smaller led lights; if I could wire these in the rear somewhere it looks like this should light me up pretty good. I do travel some at night as a PGR rider; don't like to do it but I get caught sometime.

 

Thanks.

[gunboat]

hi shot i installed a hid headlight in my bike a while back. i realy like the light it puts out. i'am also thinking about installing these led driving lights on the scoot. i do have a little issuse with the hid headlight. as in sometimes when you turn the key on the hid comes on but when you start the scoot the hid goes out. then you have to restart the scoot for it to "reset". one other thing is the other night i was ridening the scoot late at night & the hid just shout down at hwy speeds (only happened once so far). now i can not speak for anyone else, but i have read a couple of post. as some other members have had some problems with the hid but overall i'am well pleased with the hid light. and what i've seen sofar about these led driving lights will make a great addition to lighting up the night.

reguards

don c.

[rlyons]

Problem with the LED driving lights. When I turn the lights on it wipes out my radio. There is so much static that the radio is not useable. I read an artical about this problem and they say the higher quality lights have a pulse voltage regulating circuit in them that causes the static. I may try playing around with a capacitor later to see if I can eliminate the static but for now I went back to my amber clear lights. When cold weather gets here I will play with them again. Anyone else who has this problem let me know so I can tell if it is a problem with the bike or the lights.

[Guest]

Problem with the LED driving lights. When I turn the lights on it wipes out my radio. There is so much static that the radio is not useable. I read an artical about this problem and they say the higher quality lights have a pulse voltage regulating circuit in them that causes the static. I may try playing around with a capacitor later to see if I can eliminate the static but for now I went back to my amber clear lights. When cold weather gets here I will play with them again. Anyone else who has this problem let me know so I can tell if it is a problem with the bike or the lights.

 

When I posted the link for the lights from the Delphi Forum the original poster there gave no indication of any radio problems. Maybe you have a ground issue? My set should be delivered today and ill have them mounted soon. Ill see what happens.

 

I sent an email to Q-Dog at the delphi forum to see if he had any issues with his LED's. Im wondering though if you are running a relay and where is your power line tapped in to? If its tapped into the red/yellow ignition wire then that may be causing a static problem. Ill find out soon enough with my set.

Edited October 21, 2010 by Ruffy

[tsigwing]

I'm a little slow; is the headlight worth the $60 plus dollars (brightness and vision)? I can convince my bride about spending money on my bike if its a safety item and it looks like this fits my criteria. What about the smaller led lights; if I could wire these in the rear somewhere it looks like this should light me up pretty good. I do travel some at night as a PGR rider; don't like to do it but I get caught sometime.

 

Thanks.

I love mine, brightest light I have ever had. Never had a single issue with mine.